“Is everything ready?” Celestia asked. Luna and Cadence glared at each other under Celestia's imposing figure. Neither of them answered, and neither of them moved. They were annoyed.
“What is it this time?”
“The musical guests haven't arrived,” Luna said.
“Really,” Celestia said, unable to suppress her shock, “Which one?”
“Both of them,” Cadence said through grinding teeth. Her voice was heavy with a tone implying that Luna had something to do with it. Luna got the implication and raised her head high like the regal princess she was.
“The party does not start for another few hours yet,” She said, “We shall have to wait and see which of us wins our wager.”
“Agreed,” Cadence replied, “It seems that is the only thing left to do other than look for them ourselves.”
“Nay, Cadence. We are much to busy for that,” Luna said as she walked off. Cadence followeed behind her after she realized that Luna was right. They were busy with the party. And so the two princess's left Celestia standing by herself.
She stood in the middle of the room. All around her ponies buzzed about doing their duties. There were dozens more ponies than usual in the castle so they could set up for the party. Celestia watched as they styled and decorated the room.
“Hmm, not bad.”
===
Austin stared at Tessla. He looked into his friends mismatched eyes. At the moment, he was the opponent. They were enemies, locked in combat on the field of battle. And the battle was intense. Hit for hit, strike for strike. They went back and forth for many rounds, but Austin was losing this battle.
“King me,” Tessla said.
Austin looked at the board. Somehow, in the last two and half seconds Tessla had jumped half his pieces and was now demanding a king. He hated checkers.
“Hello there.” Fluttershy walked in and sat down to watch them. “How are you doing today?”
“Pretty good,” Tessla said. He moved his rook in position and destroyed Austin's last pawn. Austin smiled and made his move. He was good at chess. He usually won. “Can't complain. How bout you, Fluttershy?”
“Oh, I'm doing just fine. I'm so glad to be heading home.” She said, “We are gonna be in Canterlot soon, too.”
Austin nodded and moved around his pieces as the game of Chinese Checkers moved into full gear. Tessla said something back to Ben as he moved his own pieces around. Ben watched them closely as their battle continued.
Ben came in in the next few moments. He closed the door behind him and walked up to the three of them. He was about to speak when he looked down and saw the strange battle of board games going on. He watched as Austin let loose the metal ball in the game of mouse trap. Miraculously, it went all the way around and didn't stop once. Fluttershy seemed equally confused but didn't say anything.
“Do you know what's going on,” HE asked her. She shook her head and kept watching the two.
“YAHTZEE!” Tessla shouted as the five dice came to a dull stop on the table. Austin stared down at the five dice, each of them with the number six facing up. Austin hated Yahtzee. His luck was always terribly bad whenever he played.
“Whoa,” Ben said, “What just happened?”
“I have no idea,” Austin answered, “But I'm pretty sure I lost.”
Tessla took a small bow and packed up the box. Each side of the box was a different board game. IT all folded up nicely into a cube. All the pieces went inside and Tessla tossed it out a window after he was done.
“Well, that was fun.”
“I'm still not sure what happened,” Fluttershy said, “It was kind of hard to follow.”
They all stood there in an awkward silence for a moment. Tessla was looking at the watch he didn't have on. Ben was thinking about the Changelings. Fluttershy and Austin traded a few glances, but nothing really happened. Finally the awkwardness was broken, shattered by the appearances of more ponies.
“Hey guys,” Applejack said, “We're gonna be in Canterlot in 'bout ten minutes. Ah can't tell ya how excited ah am.”
“Are you kidding me,” Dash exclaimed as she flew over Applejack's head. “That was an awesome trip. Haven't had a vacation like that in years.”
“You cannot be serious, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. Applejack moved farther in and took a seat so she could get in. “A lot of ponies were very hurt, and you yourself got an injured wing. The Changeling attack was quite serious.”
“I know,” Dash said as she looked back at her bandaged wing. “They ruin everything.”
“Hey now,” Ben said, “Changelings don't ruin everything, Dash.”
“Says the guy that literally professed his love for the bugs,” Dash replied, “That is really weird, man. I mean really, freakin' weird.”
“Well, it was most definitely unexpected,” Twilight said. She came in with her brother right behind her. He was still recovering from his own injuries. He didn't say anything as he moved past them all and took a seat near the doors.
“So, how are the ponies in the back doing,” Austin asked. The back two cabins of the train had been converted into makeshift medical cabins. They all had to work on getting the ponies in and out carefully.
“Good,” Twilight said, “They're all stable and doing well. The pain is sometimes too much for some of them.”
“Well, that's probably my fault a little bit,” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced in. She just stay there and bounced for a bit while also eating a doughnut. It had sprinkles on it. She took a big bite and savored the taste for a second.
“I didn't know there were doughnuts,” Austin mumbled with some dissappointment.
“I keep making them laugh. They're busting guts in there,” Pinkie finally finished her thoughts, “But not really, because then they would be dead. Or maybe zombie ponies. Wait, no! That would be bad. Like, really super duper, ultra bad of the most baddest bad there can be. I don't want to trapped on a train with a bunch of zombie ponies. Run for your lives!”
Pinkie shuddered for a second before running full speed back into the cabin full of injured ponies. A moment later and they all heard a sprinkle filled scream that sounded a lot like the word 'zombies'. Pinkie crashed through the door and hurriedly closed it behind her. She placed Ben against it and sighed with relief.
Pinkie smiled nervously, “Hehe. Wrong door.”
The scene was interrupted by a voice coming over the speakers. It carried through the cabins and the voice gave them all the news. They were pulling into the Canterlot train station now. All of them hurried about excitedly and got their stuff together. They didn't have to much to get around but they still had to get it all. Tessla grabbed the one bag he had. As he moved through the cabin for the doors a thought occurred to him.
“Hmm, I just thought of something.”
“What is it, Tessla?”
“Why didn't we just take the train there in the first place?”
Celestia stood between Luna and Cadence. They still weren't talking to each other. Neither of the musical acts they had bet on had showed up. On some level they each blamed the other and that was the source of much of the animosity between them On the other hoof it was the bet itself that caused it. They both had to do ridiculous things if they lost, and they were both losing. Out of the three of them only Celestia was smiling.
“Come now, smile,” She said the unhappy two. “I'm sure it will still be a great party.”
Both Luna and Cadence traded a glance between them. Luna grumbled something about something and Cadence mumbled something under her breath. Celestia's smile was slowly fading. This was not going well.
“The humans will be here soon,” Celestia said, “Don't you want them to see you happy?”
Celestia got a response this time from both of them. It was more of a response than last time. Both of them lifted their heads up and smiled at her. It was not a big smile, but a smile. It also wasn't the smile she wanted. They put on the fake smile royalty came to know all to well as they wore it when dealing with ponies they didn't like, but had to put up with anyway.
“Well fine then,” Celestia said as she walked toward the entrance to the hall, “I guess I will be the only one happy to see them all again.”
“Auntie Tia,” Cadence said, “I'm sorry.”
“As am I, dear sister,” Luna said.
“Good,” Celestia said as she turned back to them. “Because they will be here any-”
“AAAAHHHHH! They're here! There they are. Right there. That's them. The humans,” A pony shouted out from close to the doors.
“Places everypony!” Celestia called out and they all scrambled to get to where they were supposed to be.
One the ponies turned the lights down real low until there was nothing but a dull glow emanating from just a few sources. The curtains were closed. No candles were lit. Luna hushed all the ponies there until not even a mouse could be heard scuttling across the floor in his quest for cheese. Everything came to a still as they waited and watched the doors.
With all eyes on the doors they opened wide. A light, brilliant and illuminating, poured into darkened room. Dark silhouetted forms could be seen against the harsh light. Three of them tall and strong with smaller forms taking up spots on either side. Together they all walked in, although they moved cautiously.
“SURPRISE!!!” The lights flared up in a flash, momentarily blinded the group that just walked in. As the lights came on the ponies jumped out.
First came the three Princess's. They jumped out from behind the thrones and shouted out the word with all their might. Luna had to keep her voice under control, however, lest the royal canterlot voice deafen a few ponies near to her. Celestia was a little late on the leap, but she didn't let that bother her. She was fairly certain nopony saw anyway.
After that ponies started coming out from everywhere. They came from behind the columns. They appeared from the shadows like creepy night stalkers wearing oddly bright and formal wear. Ponies flew down from the ceilings and the windows and landed all around them. The group blinked collectively a few times and stared out at the ponies.
“Surprise!” Ditzy said as she jumped up to them all.
“Consider me surprised,” Austin said.
They all looked out over the ponies. Many of them were ponies they knew. At least half of Ponyville was there, and that wasn't all. There were ponies from every city here. Some were here just to meet the humans for the first time.
“We had hoped you would be,” Celestia said. “We had to put this all together ourselves. The best party planner we knew was gone.” Celestia gave Pinkie a look and Pinkie blushed a bit and then bust out the party cannon.
“I thought there would be music,” Rarity said, “A nice orchestra or something.”
“Oh, you want music do you,” Tessla said. “ Then I have just the thing.”
===
“LET'S PINK THIS UP A NOTCH!!!”
“Pinkie Pie, don't interrupt him.”
Utterly shocked “Fluttershy?! When did you get here?”
“I've been here for a while. Didn't you know?”
“WOAH! You are a friggin ninja, Fluttershy. I had no idea you showed up.”
Slightly hurt feelings “Oh, okay then.”
“Don't feel bad, Shy. She didn't notice me either.”
“Applejack?! You're, like, the least sneaky one. How did I not notice you?”
“You were to busy scaring the poor fella away”
“Oh, that makes sense. Where were we?”
“I think we were just about to find out what happened to the music.”
“Well then. Let's pay attention.”
===
Octavia sat with Vinyl. They sat across from each other in their kitchen. Each of them glared at the other, or at least Octavia thought Vinyl was glaring at her. It was nearly impossible to tell with her shades on. It was made even more so by the fact that they still didn't have electricity. A lantern swung lazily above them, hung up by Vinyl's magic.
“So, which on of us is going?” Octavia asked for the third time.
“I already told you, Tavi,” Vinyl said with a yawn, “I don't care.”
“And I told you that I don't believe you,” Octavia shouted, “Just the other day you were saying how you wanted another gig, and now you are willing to just pass on the Princess's personal invitation? Ha! Like I am supposed to believe that.”
“Tavi, did you ever wonder why I am saying no to the Princess's invite,” Vinyl asked with sigh. “It's because of you, but not for the reasons you think.”
“Me?” Octavia said. She repeated the word in her head a few time. Whatever could she possibly mean by that. What was this mare up to?
“The royal stuff is more your speed, Tavi,” Vinyl said, “I mean, would a like to go? Hell, yeah! It's Princess Luna herself asking for me, and the money would be nice too. But I know it would mean more to you than it would to me. So I want you to go.”
Octavia felt all the emotions that she was feeling start to fade away and melt. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster in her chest. She stared at Vinyl across the table and couldn't hold back the feelings she was feeling. As she stared she came to realize that Vinyl was only wearing her shades so she couldn't see her eyes, as they gave her away every time. Octavia didn't resist the urge she felt as she reached over the table and wrapped her hooves around the Unicorn.
“I love you, Vinyl.”
. . . . .
“Vinyl?”
Octavia looked down at where Vinyl should have been. She was just there a second ago. Where did she go? Octavia looked around the room. It was there house. There were no trap doors or secret passages as far as she knew. Octavia stared at the floor for a moment as she thought about it.
“Vinyl, where did you go?”
Vinyl was asking herself that very same thing. One second she was feeling Octavia's hooves as they moved to embrace her, and the next she was staring at the strangest thing she had ever seen. Two legs, tall, long hair, and two eyes of different colors.
“What the hell is going on?”
“HA! I WIN!”
All eyes turned to stare at the overly excited Princess of the Night. After a moment she realized how loud she had been and backed up with some slight embarrassment. Cadence stared blankly at the white Unicorn with the electric blue mane.
“I lost,” She said as horrifying images of her in a sexy cupid outfit flooded her mind. Ponies were laughing at her. None were taking her seriously. Her powers of love dwindling away. And yet, somehow she knew that Shining Armor was going to love this.
“Uh, Tessla,” Austin said, “As much as you like Vinyl, don't you think you should probably get some more appropriate music?”
“Like what?”
“Let me put it this way,” Austin said as she pointed to the very confused Vinyl Scratch. “You already got half of them here.”
“Why didn't I think of that,” Tessla remarked as he snapped his fingers.
===
Octavia sat in her chair at the table. She was still coming to grips with the fact that Vinyl had just up and disappeared on her. She wasn't sure how she did it, either. Octavia knew her lover was a Unicorn but she had never before done anything like this.
“Vinyl, I swear if this is some sick joke I will lock you out of this house for the next two weeks!”
Octavia looked around the room, but all she got in response was silence. She was starting to worry. What could have happened to Vinyl? Where could she have gone? And how did she get there? Around that time darker thoughts started to flow into her mind. What if she was taken? By some pony, or some thing?
“AH! What was that!?!” Octavia said as she leaped on top of the table in a fit of fright. Her head swiveled around as she tried to watched every direction at once. One of her hooves knocked over the salt shaker and she jumped back down to her chair.
“I don't know what's going on!”
At that exact moment Octavia noticed something. Her senses were working in overdrive, but even if they weren't she would've seen this. It was a light. The light was coming from the floor. Beams of it danced around the room and she just watched them for a moment.
“What the-”
Octavia followed the path of the light beams down to the floor. Her eyes fell upon a swirling mass of energy underneath her chair. It turned and swirled and Octavia came to the conclusion that it was bad. She also decided it was time to scream again.
“AAAHHHHHH!” She screamed as she and the chair she was sitting in fell down into the portal. The portal closed and the candles went out.
===
A portal opened above the heads of Tessla and Austin. They both simultaneously took a step back as a screaming came from said portal. A second later and a chair fell out of. Attached to the chair was a pony, screaming and clutching the chair like it was her lover.
“Tavi!”
Octavia looked up from the back of the chair to see Vinyl rushing up to her. Before she could react Vinyl tackled her off the chair and embraced her in a warm hug. Vinyl held her close for a moment. She nuzzled her shades into her mane, and Octavia didn't mind.
“Tavi, are you dead too?”
“What?” Octavia exclaimed with surprise, “What do you mean dead?”
“I am dead, aren't I?” Vinyl said as she looked herself over. “That's the only reason I can come up with as to how I ended up at such a strange, and boring place. Am I wrong?”
“Vinyl,” Octavia said with a smile as she shook her head. Sometimes the mare could be such an airhead. “This is the Royal Canterlot Castle. This must be the party we were both invited to.”
“Oh,” Was all Vinyl said. She looked around the large room all the ponies were gathered in. The huge pillars held up the vaulted ceiling far above them. The stained glass windows let in a lot of light now that the curtains had been opened up. Not that she could really tell any colors apart with her shades on.
“I've never been here before,” She stated plainly.
“What?” Octavia looked at her with wide eyes. “You have never played for the Princess's, and you were still willing to give it up? For me?”
“Well, yeah. I'd give up a whole lot more for you, Tavi,” Vinyl said.
“I love you, Vinyl Scratch.”
“Yeah, You too, Tavi,” Vinyl said. “Now, why don't we make this real party?”
The touching moment was interrupted by the sounds coming from the side. The two mares looked over to see three strange creatures standing there. One of them was holding a small napkin and his lip was quivering. It was the large one.
“That was so much love,” Ben said. “I promised myself I wouldn't cry.”
“Don't mind him,” Tessla said. “Follow me and I'll get you set up with your instruments and stuff.”
Tessla walked off with the two mares. He was smiling happily. Other than Zecora, those two were probably his favorite ponies. He started up some small talk with them as they went. Pretty soon they were out of earshot and Austin was left with a teary eyed Ben. He handed him a glass of milk and moved off in another direction. Meanwhile, two Princess were having a very intense debate.
“You can't win, Luna. My musical guest showed up!”
“But mine did arrive before yours, Cadence,” Luna said, “And one more thing. Your guest was the entire symphony, not just one pony. So technically, only a small part of your musical act arrived.”
“Oh, please. That so doesn't count!”
“I'm counting it,” Celestia said as she butted in with a plate floating next to her. She levitated a bite of cake and ate it quickly. The two looked up at her and waited for hew wise decision to be placed with them. Celestia wiped a few crumbs away with a napkin and smiled. “You both lose.”
The music washed over them. It moved across the air waves as they played. All of the ponies were drawn to it. Vinyl and Octavia stood upon the stage and played. The ponies gathered around and listened as the music washed over them. Tessla had set them up with absolutely everything to two of them needed. He stood off to the side and slowly moved his head to the music. Austin and Ben stood with him. Ben had stopped crying and their eyes were as glued to the stage as any other pony's.
Celestia stood with Cadence and Luna. Their eyes were locked onto the scene, their ears pointed toward the music as they did everything to hear every note and beat that was played. They listened well and watched in awe. Two ponies, two musics, each as different from the other as they could be. And yet, they came together in such perfect harmony. The sounds they made, it was. . .
“Beautiful,” Cadence said with Luna. Celestia smiled. For the first time since the party had started those two weren't thinking of that stupid bet.